Integrated service management system for remote customer support

ABSTRACT

Techniques for creation, operation, management, and access control of network-based storage services are described. Specific embodiments provide improved efficiency of the service management tasks used for designing, operating and accounting the robust and profitable network services, for example. In representative embodiments, techniques for constructing integrated network and storage services are provided. In a specific embodiment, the service comprises of three major service components: virtual private networks (VPN), applications servers and storage area networks (SAN). Each of these service components has its own customer identification information, such as VPN identifier for VPN services, process identifier for application servers and logical unit number (LUN) for storage devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to techniques for managingstorage, and in particular to techniques for creation, operation,management, and access control of network-based storage services incustomer support operations.

Conventional network-based value-added services comprises of more thanone service components. For example, outsourcing service of enterpriseapplication over Internet involves network access services via theInternet, hosting service of Web servers and database servers andstorage management services. Each service component may be provided bydifferent service providers or may be served by one consolidated serviceprovider. An added dimension includes the provision of customer supportservices to equipment installed in a customer facility. Computernetworks have made it possible for off site customer support personnelto obtain information about equipment installed in customer facilities.While certain advantages to such conventional approaches are perceived,opportunities for further improvement exist. For example, according toconventional network management technology, managing such complicatedservice systems, to keep the service up and running, can be achallenging task to the service operators. Further, security and accesscontrol issues arise with any network access to equipment.

What is needed are improved techniques for creation, operation,management, and access control of network-based storage services incustomer support operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides techniques for creation, operation,management, and access control of network-based storage services incustomer support operations. Specific embodiments provide improvedefficiency of the service management tasks used for designing, operatingand accounting the robust and profitable network services, for example.In representative embodiments, techniques for constructing integratednetwork and storage services are provided. In a specific embodiment, theservice comprises of three major service components: virtual privatenetworks (VPN), application servers and storage area networks (SAN).Each of these service components has its own customer identificationinformation, such as VPN identifier for VPN services, process identifierfor application servers and logical unit number (LUN) for storagedevices. Access to equipment installed in a customer's site by an offsite maintenance operator can be provided by virtue of virtual privatenetwork and logical partitioning technology according to specificembodiments of the present invention.

In some specific embodiments, service customers are connected to theservice provider through VPN. The VPN path that connects customer sitesand the data center of the service provider are terminated on a VPNtermination device or a VPN router. Within the VPN router, multiplerouting processing programs or virtual routers (VR) run independently.The VPN router is connected to the application servers via virtual LAN(VLAN) switch. These application servers are then connected to theservice provider's SAN.

The integrated service management system collects management informationfrom individual management systems corresponding to each servicecomponents (VPN, servers and SAN) and holds mappings or relationshipinformation between resources in each service component and the customerwho is allowed to use those resources. For example, VPN managementsystem is responsible for mapping between VPN customer and VPN path usedby that customer. Similarly, server management systems assign a numberof servers to a certain customer. Integrated service management systemscollect this kind of mapping information between customers and resourceswithin service components. An application programming interface (API),enables software developers to implement management applications usingthe functionality of the integrated service management systems.

In a representative embodiment according to the present invention, asystem is provided. The system comprises a connection to a virtualprivate network, and a router, which is connected to the virtual privatenetwork. The router maintains at least one virtual router for a client.The system further comprises at least one server, and a virtual LANswitch, which is connected to the router. The server can be apportionedinto one or more logical partitions. The virtual LAN switch providesselectable forwarding for information from the router to at least onelogical partition of the server. The system also includes at least onevolume and an FC switch. The volume(s) accept information for storagethereon. The information has a shared portion and a non-shared portion.The FC switch provides selectable interconnection between the at leastone logical partitions of the server and the at least one volume, sothat information received from a plurality of sources via the virtualprivate network is directed to a particular virtual router for each ofthe sources by the router. In some specific embodiments, a virtualprivate network management system controls operation of the router. Theinformation is then directed to a particular one of the logicalpartitions of the server for each of the sources by the virtual LANswitch. In some specific embodiments, a server management systemcontrols operation of the virtual LAN switch. The information is thendirected to a particular volume for each of the sources by the FCswitch. In some specific embodiments, a storage management systemcontrols operation of the FC switch. The shared portion of theinformation is accessible via the administration server under control ofthe sources. Control can be provided by a set of access permissions orthe like in various specific embodiments.

In a representative specific embodiment, in which a virtual privatenetwork management system is used to control the router, the virtualprivate network management system comprises a network interface module,that receives commands from an integrated service management system, aservice order processing module, that analyzes and executes thecommands, updates a table of virtual private network information, andsends new configuration information to the router through a controlmodule. In some specific embodiments, the virtual service managementsystem further comprises a virtual private network table. The virtualprivate network table has a VPN ID that identifies a specific VPN, anAddress 1 and an Address 2 that hold IP addresses of two end points ofthe specific VPN, a Protocol that specifies a VPN protocol that is usedon the specific VPN, an Internet that indicates whether access to publicInternet is permitted, and a VLAN ID that is assigned to packetsreceived over the specific VPN.

In another representative embodiment, an integrated service managementsystem is used to control operation of other management systems. In aspecific embodiment, the integrated service management system comprisesa network interface module that receives requests to changeconfiguration, a service order processing module that analyzes andexecutes requests to change configuration received by the networkinterface module, updates related table cache in a service managementdatabase, and sends new configuration information using the networkinterface module. In some specific embodiments, the integrated servicemanagement system further comprises a service configuration table thatstores destination information. In select embodiments, the integratedservice management system further comprises a server table that stores aserver table, said server table having a server identification, anaddress, a physical server identifier, a virtual LAN identification, alogical partition (LPAR) identification, a host bus adaptor (HBA)identification, an application identification, an operating systemidentifier, and a CPU information, for example. In some specificembodiments, the integrated service management system further comprisesa storage table that stores storage table having a volume identifier, aport identifier, an allowed host bus adapter(s) (HBAs) identifier, acapacity identifier, and an access information. The integrated servicemanagement system further comprises a service mapping table that storesa customer identifier, a virtual private network identifier, a serveridentifier, and a volume identifier in some specific embodiments. Insome embodiments, the integrated service management system furthercomprises a service status table that stores a customer identifier, avirtual private network status, a server status, and a volume status.

In some specific embodiments, an operator console application sends arequest command to change service configuration to the integratedmanagement system. In select specific embodiments, a customer portalapplication sends a request command to change service configuration tothe integrated management system.

In a further representative embodiment, a method is provided. The methodcomprises receiving a request to access information stored in anintegrated storage and networking system. Determining based uponconfiguration tables comprising a mapping between a logical partitionand one or more of host based adaptors (HBAs) attached thereto anappropriate volume to route the request is also part of the method.Further, the method includes determining based upon an access permissionwhether the request is authorized to the volume; and permitting accessbased upon the request, if the request is authorized. Permitting theaccess enables an operator to diagnose equipment in a remotely locatedinstallation.

In a further representative embodiment, a method is provided. The methodcomprises assigning to customer data a set of access permissions.Receiving requests to access the customer data is also part of themethod. Further, based upon configuration tables reflecting a mappingbetween a logical partition and one or more of HBAs attached thereto, avolume to access is determined. The method also includes permittingaccess to the volume based upon the set of access permissions. Therequest to access the customer data is made by an operator attempting todiagnose equipment installed in a remote customer site.

In a further representative embodiment, a method is provided. The methodcomprises receiving at a subsystem manager a request to change to a newconfiguration for one or more of storage devices of an integratedstorage and networking system. Analyzing the request to determine a newconfiguration for the one or more of storage devices of the integratedstorage and networking system is also part of the method. Further, themethod also includes updating configuration tables to reflect the newconfiguration. The configuration tables comprise a mapping between alogical partition and one or more of HBAs attached thereto. Sendingcommands to a fibre channel switch to implement the new configuration isalso part of the method. The method also includes receiving requests byan operator to access information associated with the logical partition.Determining based upon an access permission whether the operator haspermission to access the information and permitting access to theoperator to the information if the operator has permission are also partof the method.

In another representative embodiment, an apparatus is provided. Theapparatus comprises a means for selectably interconnecting between atleast one logical partition of at least one server and at least onevolume in a storage unit, so that information received from one or moreof sources is directed to a particular one of a plurality of virtualrouters. Further, a means for directing the information from theparticular one of a plurality of virtual routers to a particular one ofthe at least one logical partitions of the at least one server is partof the apparatus. The apparatus also includes a means for directing theinformation to a particular volume for each of the sources and a meansfor controlling access to a shared portion of the information via anadministration server.

Numerous benefits are achieved by way of the present invention overconventional techniques. Specific embodiments according to the presentinvention provide the capability to integrate and manage customeridentification information for each of the service components as a wholeby the integrated service management systems. This enables the serviceoperator to configure, monitor and manage the service on per-customer orper-service basis. By selecting a certain customer, the operator canfocus on the end-to-end service from the customer site to accessnetwork, to application servers and storage devices pertaining to theselected customer.

As customer identification information for each of the servicecomponents is automatically mapped by the integrated service managementsystems, in specific embodiments, it is not necessary for the operatorof the service provider to manually configure each service component.

These and other benefits are described throughout the presentspecification. A further understanding of the nature and advantages ofthe invention herein may be realized by reference to the remainingportions of the specification and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the system overview of SSAS in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 shows the VPN management system as an example of subsystemmanagement system in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the Integrated Service Management System (ISMS) in aspecific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the service configuration table in a specific embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the VPN table 500 that resides in the VPN database 210 ofVPN SMS 200 in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows the server table 600 that resides in the server database ofserver SMS in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows the storage table that resides in the storage database ofstorage SMS in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows the service mapping table that resides in the servicemanagement database 310 in the ISMS 300 in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 shows the service status table that resides in the servicemanagement database 310 in the ISMS 300 in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of representative integrated servicemanagement system processing in a specific embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of representative virtual private networkservice management system processing in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of representative server management systemprocessing in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of representative storage management systemprocessing in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows a representative system configuration using LPARcapability in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 shows a representative relationship between logical partitionsand host bus adaptors (HBAs) in a specific embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 16 shows a representative server table for managing a mappingbetween application servers, logical partitions and HBAs in a specificembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 shows a representative storage table useful in a specificembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 shows a representative network configuration of the customersupport center in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 shows a representative network configuration of one of customersites 1902 in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 shows representative diagnostic information collected in theservice in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 shows a representative disclosure level configuration table 2100in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides techniques for creation, operation andmanagement of network-based storage services. Specific embodimentsprovide improved efficiency of the service management tasks used fordesigning, operating and accounting the robust and profitable networkservices, for example. In representative embodiments, techniques forconstructing integrated network and storage services are provided. In aspecific embodiment, the service comprises of three major servicecomponents: virtual private networks (VPN), application servers andstorage area networks (SAN). Each of these service components has itsown customer identification information, such as VPN identifier for VPNservices, process identifier for application servers and logical unitnumber (LUN) for storage devices.

In a U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 6,205,488, entitled “Internet protocol virtualprivate network realization using multi-protocol label switchingtunnels,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety forall purposes, one method for constructing VPN over a packet-basednetwork using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) technology isdescribed. There are also several techniques to build a virtual privatenetwork over public IP networks. For example, IPsec, point-to-pointtunneling protocol (PPTP), and layer 2 tunneling protocol (L2TP) may beused to set up a tunneling path between customer-owned networkequipment, such as VPN routers and firewalls. Other forms of VPN are anetwork-based VPN. An example of this type of VPN is described inRFC2547, “BGP/MPLS VPNs,” which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety for all purposes.

However, a need still exists to support integration and mapping betweenVPN and application services. Further, other service components havetheir own service management systems. For example, storage area network(SAN) can be managed using SAN management software.

According to the present invention, a plurality of services is used tocombine virtual private network (VPN) services, application services andstorage access services. This service is referred to as “Secure storageaccess service” (SSAS) in this document.

FIG. 1 shows the system overview of SSAS in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention. Although SSAS may be comprised of one or more servicecomponents, in a specific embodiment the SASS comprises of three servicecomponents, each of which is described below.

Virtual private network (VPN) service provides secure network pathbetween the customer site and the data center of the service providerover the shared public network such as the Internet. Traffic that goesthrough VPN path may or may not be encrypted to prevent eavesdropping invarious specific embodiments. Each of the VPN service customers has oneor more sites to be connected to the VPN. For example, in FIG. 1,Customer A 130 has two sites Aa 132 and Ab 134. Each VPN site is an endpoint of a VPN path. The other end point of the VPN path is on the VPNrouter 160, which resides in the data center 150 of the serviceprovider.

The VPN router 160 in the data center 150 aggregate multiple VPN paths,identify the customer by VPN ID, and direct the traffic received fromthe customer to the virtual LAN (VLAN) switch 170. Within the VPN router160, there are multiple virtual router (VR) programs, each serving thedifferent VPN customers. For example, in FIG. 1, the VPN paths fromservice customer A 130 are terminated at the virtual router A 165 in theVPN router 160. Similarly, the VPN paths from customer B are connectedto the VR B. Because each VR has its own routing table and other networkresources dedicated to the customer it serves, packets from each VPNcustomer are clearly separated from the network point of view. Thisenables, for example, two different customers to use the sameoverlapping IP address spaces within a private address range.

When a VR A 165 receives packets from one of VPN path of customer A 130,it then adds to them the VLAN tag for customer A and sends them to theVLAN switch. The VLAN tag is the information added to the LAN frame sothat more than two logically independent networks can be overlaid on thesame LAN segment. The more detailed specification of VLAN tag is definedin the IEEE 803.1 q standard. The VPN service is one of the servicecomponents or subsystems that comprise SSAS and is managed by the VPNmanagement system 210, which will be described herein below.

Application service comprises of one or more application servers(“Servers”). Each service customer is assigned to one or more Servers.For a larger service customer who requires a lot of server processingcapacity such as CPU time, more than one server can be assigned for loadbalancing. On the other hand, for a smaller customer who doesn't usemuch CPU and wants to reduce the service cost, one application servercan be shared among more than one service customers. In the latter case,more than one application processes may be run on the shared applicationserver.

In FIG. 1, customer A uses two servers S-Aa 180 and S-Ab 182 whilecustomers C and D share one server S-CD 186. Each application serverbelongs to a certain VLAN. As VLAN switch 170 on the VLAN segment isconfigured to transfer VLAN-tagged packets from VPN router 160 to anappropriate server connected to the VLAN segment, it is not necessaryfor servers to know to which VLAN they belong.

Each application server has one or more host bus adapters (HBA) thatconnect the server to a storage area network (SAN). From the SAN pointof view, each server is identified by its HBA address or port. In theconfiguration illustrated by FIG. 1, each server is connected to a fibrechannel (FC) switch 190, which performs the switching functions of theSAN. Application service is one of the service components or subsystemsthat comprise SSAS and is managed by the server management system 211,which will be described herein below.

Storage service comprises of multiple storage devices or volumes. Eachstorage volume is configured to accept accesses from a specificapplication server. Application servers and storage volumes areconnected via the storage area network (SAN). In FIG. 1, FC switch 190,of the SAN, is used to connect servers and volumes. In order tosegregate servers and volumes for different service customers, the FCswitch 190 and/or storage volumes are configured so that access to aspecific storage volume is restricted to one or more specific servers.When incorporated into FC switches, this functionality is called “portzoning.” When incorporated into storage devices, this functionality isoften called “LUN security,” where LUN stands for logical unit number.

In FIG. 1, server S-Aa 180 and S-Ab 182 can access volume V-Aa and V-Ab.Server S-B 184 uses volume V-B. Server S-CD 186 gains access to volumesV-CDa and V-CDb. The FC switch 190 is configured to manage the storageaccess as described above. Storage service is one of the servicecomponents or subsystems that comprise SSAS and is managed by thestorage management system 212, which will be described herein below.

Integrated service management system (ISMS) 300 is the management serverand programs running on it. Integrated service management system (ISMS)300 communicates with the subsystem management system (SMS) thatcontrols and manages each service component comprising the SSAS. TheISMS 300 includes application programming interfaces that can be used todevelop application programs such as an operator console program.Service provider operators can communicate with ISMS 300 by usingoperator console application 120. Service customers can communicate withISMS 300 by using customer portal applications 125. The ISMScommunicates with other management components such as SMS andapplications through management network 115.

FIG. 2 shows the VPN management system as an example of a subsystemmanagement system in a specific embodiment of the present invention.Other subsystem management systems, such as server management system 201and storage management system 202, for example, may be similar to theVPN management system (VPN SMS). The VPN SMS 200 has a network interfacemodule 250 that is connected to the management network 115 and used tosend or receive command packet to or from the ISMS 300. The VPN SMS 200also has a VPN control module 255 that is connected to the VPN router160 and used to communicate with the VPN router 160 to configure thedevice.

The information for mapping between VPN path and VLAN tags associatedwith the VPN path is stored in a VPN table 500 in a VPN database 210.The contents of the VPN table 500 will be described later with referenceto FIG. 5. System operation module 230 controls the starting up andshutting down of the VPN SMS 200, and executes common tasks includingoperating system tasks. Input/output module 350 processes theinput/output events of the VPN SMS 200.

Service order processing module 240 is responsible for processingservice orders received by network interface module 250. When ISMS 300sends a request command or a service order to VPN SMS 200 in order tochange VPN configuration, the command packet is received by the networkinterface module 250 of VPN SMS 200. Then, the service order processingmodule 240 analyzes and executes the command request, updates the VPNtable 500 and sends the new configuration information to the VPN router160 through the VPN control module 255. A database access module 245 isused to read data from or write data into VPN database 210 as requestedby other modules of VPN SMS 200.

FIG. 3 shows the Integrated Service Management System (ISMS) in aspecific embodiment of the present invention. The ISMS 300 has a networkinterface module 365 that is connected to the management network 115 andused to send or receive command packets to or from SMSs, such as VPNmanagement system 200, for example. Input/output module 350 processesthe input/output events of the ISMS 300.

A service order processing module 355 is responsible for processingservice orders received by network interface module 365. When operatorconsole application 120 or customer portal application 125 sends arequest command or a service order to ISMS 300 in order to changeservice configuration, the command packet is received by the networkinterface module 365 of ISMS 300. Then, the service order processingmodule 355 analyzes and executes the command request, updates relatedtable caches in service management database 310 and sends the newconfiguration information to the related SMSs through the networkinterface module 365.

A database access module 360 is used to read data from or write datainto the service management database 310 as requested by other modulesof the ISMS 300. Stored within the service management database 310 are anumber of tables, which ISMS 300 uses to control and manage the SSAS.Service configuration table 315, service mapping table 325, and servicestatus table 335 are described below.

The ISMS 300 comprises a VPN table cache 320, server table cache 330 andstorage table cache 340, which are copies of the corresponding tablesmanaged by SMSs respectively. For example, VPN table cache 320 is a copyof a VPN table 500 that is stored in VPN SMS 200 and collected by ISMS300. The contents of VPN table, server table and storage table aredescribed below.

FIG. 4 shows the service configuration table in a specific embodiment ofthe present invention. Service configuration table 400 contains theconfiguration information that ISMS 300 uses to identify SMSs tocommunicate with. In a specific embodiment, ISMS 300 communicates withthree subsystems: VPN subsystem, server subsystem, and storagesubsystem. The operator of the service system enters the SMS IP addressof each subsystem in the service configuration table 400. When startingup, ISMS 300 looks up the service configuration table 400 to establishcommunication connections to each SMS.

FIG. 5 shows the VPN table 500 that resides in the VPN database 210 ofVPN SMS 200 in a specific embodiment of the present invention. Theinformation contained in VPN table 500 is collected and stored by ISMS300. The VPN table 500 contains the configuration information that VPNsubsystem uses to configure the VPN router 160. Within the VPN table500, “VPN ID” identifies to which VPN the site belongs. “Address 1” and“Address 2” hold the IP addresses of the two end points of the VPN pathor tunnel, respectively. “Protocol” specifies which VPN protocol is usedon the VPN path for this site. “Internet” is a Boolean value thatindicates whether or not the site is allowed to access public Internet,possibly through a firewall. “VLAN ID” is the VLAN tag value assigned tothe packets received from this site over the VPN path.

FIG. 6 shows the server table 600 that resides in the server database ofserver SMS in a specific embodiment of the present invention. The serverSMS 201 is similar to VPN SMS 200 in a specific embodiment. Theinformation contained in server table 600 is collected and stored byISMS 300 as well. Server table 600 contains the configurationinformation that the server subsystem uses to configure the VLAN switch170. Within server table 600, “Server” identifies one of applicationservers within the server subsystem. “Address” holds the IP address ofthat server. “VLAN ID” is the VLAN tag value assigned to that server.“Application,” “OS,” and “CPU” indicate the application running on theserver, operating systems of the server, and CPU processing capabilitysuch as CPU speed, respectively.

FIG. 7 shows the storage table that resides in the storage database ofstorage SMS in a specific embodiment of the present invention. Thestorage SMS 202 is similar to VPN SMS 200 in a specific embodiment. Theinformation contained in storage table 700 is collected and stored byISMS 300. This table contains the configuration information that thestorage subsystem uses to configure the FC switch 190 and storagevolumes. “Volume” identifies one of the storage volumes within thestorage subsystem. “Port” holds the FC port address of the volume.“Server allowed” specifies those servers that are allowed to access thisstorage volume. “Capacity” and “Access” indicate the storage volumecapacity and access control attribute of the volume, respectively.

FIG. 8 shows the service mapping table that resides in the servicemanagement database 310 in the ISMS 300 in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention. ISMS 300 constructs a single service management tablefrom multiple tables collected from the SMSs that are connected to it.This table defines the mapping between service customer and resources ineach subsystem. For example, customer A is mapped to VPN with VPN ID“VR-A,” servers “S-Aa” and “S-Ab” and volume “V-Aa” and “V-Ab.” WhenISMS 300 configures the VPN settings for customer A, ISMS 300 looks upthis table, determines VPN ID corresponding to customer A and thenissues a command packet to VPN SMS 200 with the VPN ID.

In this way, ISMS 300 can accept the configuration command on aper-customer basis and translate it into the command request to thesubsystems with subsystem specific identification information.

FIG. 9 shows the service status table that resides in the servicemanagement database 310 in the ISMS 300 in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention. When ISMS 300 receives the fault notification fromone of SMSs connected to it, it looks up the service mapping table 800of FIG. 8 and determines which customer is affected by the fault. Forexample, if the fault of storage volume V-B is received, by consultingthe service mapping table 800, ISMS 300 determines that the fault affectthe customer B. In this case, ISMS 300 update the service status table900 by changing the Volume column of the customer B from “Normal” to“Fault.” In this way, ISMS 300 can correlate the fault notificationsfrom subsystems to the customer who is affected by the event.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of representative integrated servicemanagement system processing in a specific embodiment of the presentinvention. As illustrated in FIG. 10, in a step 1002, a service order isreceived by the integrated service system 300. The service order can becreated using an operator console application 120 or the customer portalapplication 125 to send a request command or a service order to the ISMS300. Service orders can be used to change service configuration and thelike, for example. The service order can be in the form of a commandpacket, which is received by the network interface module 365 of ISMS300, for example. Then, in a step 1004, the command request is analyzedand executed. In a specific embodiment, service order processing module355 analyzes the service order to determine the changes that need to bemade to the subsystem configurations in order to implement the commandsin the service order. Next, in a step 1006, the related table caches inthe service management database 310 of the ISMS 300 are updated toreflect the new configuration. Then, in a step 1008, the newconfiguration information is sent out to the related SMSs through thenetwork interface module 365, for example.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of representative virtual private networkservice management system processing in a specific embodiment of thepresent invention. As illustrated in FIG. 11, in a step 1102, a serviceorder is received by the virtual private network management system 200.The service order is created by the ISMS 300 in order to implement achange in configuration responsive to receiving a service order from theoperator console application 120 or the customer portal application 125,for example. The service order can be in the form of a command packet,which is received by the network interface module 250 of VPN SMS 200,for example. Then, in a step 1104, the service order is analyzed andexecuted. In a specific embodiment, service order processing module 240analyzes the service order to determine the changes that need to be madeto the VPN subsystem configuration in order to implement the commandswithin the service order. Next, in a step 1106, the VPN table 500 in theVPN database 210 of the VPN SMS 200 is updated to reflect the newconfiguration. Then, in a step 1108, instructions to implement the newconfiguration are sent out to the VPN router 160 through the VPN controlmodule 255, for example.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of representative server management systemprocessing in a specific embodiment of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 12, in a step 1202, a service order is received bythe server management system 201. The service order is created by theISMS 300 in order to implement a change in configuration responsive toreceiving a service order from the operator console application 120 orthe customer portal application 125, for example. The service order canbe in the form of a command packet, which is received by the networkinterface module of the server SMS 201, for example. Then, in a step1204, the service order is analyzed and executed. In a specificembodiment, a service order processing module of the server SMS 201analyzes the service order to determine the changes that need to be madeto the Server subsystem configuration in order to implement the commandswithin the service order. Next, in a step 1206, the server configurationtable in the Server SMS 201 is updated to reflect the new configuration.This information is also contained in the server table cache 330 of ISMS300. Then, in a step 1208, instructions to implement the newconfiguration are sent out to the VLAN switch 170 through a controlmodule within the server SMS 201, for example.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of representative storage management systemprocessing in a specific embodiment of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 13, in a step 1302, a service order is received bythe storage management system 202. The service order is created by theISMS 300 in order to implement a change in configuration responsive toreceiving a service order from the operator console application 120 orthe customer portal application 125, for example. The service order canbe in the form of a command packet, which is received by the networkinterface module of the storage SMS 202, for example. Then, in a step1304, the service order is analyzed and executed. In a specificembodiment, a service order processing module of the storage SMS 202analyzes the service order to determine the changes that need to be madeto the storage subsystem configuration in order to implement thecommands within the service order. Next, in a step 1306, the storageconfiguration table in the storage SMS 202 is updated to reflect the newconfiguration. This information is also contained in the storage tablecache 340 of the ISMS 300. Then, in a step 1308, instructions toimplement the new configuration are sent out to the FC switch 190through a control module within the storage SMS 202, for example.

Logical Partitioning

In specific embodiments of the present invention, logical partitioningtechniques may be applied to high-end application servers to provideenhanced security and access control. Some servers, especially thosecreated for high-end market, have a capability called logicalpartitioning. A logical partition is a logical entity implemented on asingle physical computer. It is possible to have more than one logicalpartition on a single physical computer. If multiple logical partitionsreside on a computer, each one of the partitions is independent from theother. Each partition can contain a different operating system withinit. In addition, application programs that run on a certain logicalpartition would not see any other applications that run on other logicalpartitions. Therefore, from an application's point of view, a logicalpartition acts as if it is a single independent computer system eventhough the logical partitions reside in the same physical computer.

By using logical partitioning, service providers can serve morecustomers with the same number of servers. This means that the serviceproviders can save the floor space of data centers, which is becoming anincreasingly scarce resource due to fast growing server needs. As eachlogical partition is logically separate, and there is no interactionbetween them, even if multiple customers share one physical server,these customers can preserve information confidentiality and avoidsystem crashes caused by other customers' actions.

FIG. 14 shows a representative system configuration using LPARcapability in a specific embodiment of the present invention. In theillustrated specific embodiment of the present invention, applicationservers in SSAS have logical partitioning capabilities. A logicalpartition is identified by a combination of a physical server and alogical partition ID (LPAR ID). In FIG. 14, one physical server P-1(1400) holds three logical partitions in it: L-1 (1420), L-2 (1430) andL-3 (1440). Another physical server P-2 (1410) holds a single logicalpartition L-1 (1450).

FIG. 15 shows a representative relationship between logical partitionsand host bus adaptors (HBAs) in a specific embodiment of the presentinvention. A host bus adaptor (HBA) is an interface device that gives aserver access to the storage area network. Because it is possible forone LPAR to have more than one HBA, server SMS 201 should be able tomanage a mapping between a logical partition and one or more HBAsattached to it.

In the example shown in FIG. 15, a physical server P-1 (1400) containsthree logical partitions, L-1 (1420), L-2 (1430) and L-3 (1440), whileP-2 (1410) has a single logical partition, L-l (1450). Physical serverP-1 (1400) is equipped with four HBAs, H-1 (1500) through H-4 (1530).Among these four HBAs, H-1 (1500) and H-2 (1510) are associated with L-l(1420), and H-3 (1520) and H-4 (1530) are associated with L-2 (1430) andL-3 (1440), respectively. In physical server P-2 (1410), there is onlyone logical partition, L-1 (1450) and one HBA, H-5 (1540). Though it isnot shown in this example, it is also possible for more than one logicalpartition to share the same HBA.

As access security in the storage area network is controlled on aper-HBA basis, the storage management subsystem manages which HBA isallowed to access which storage volumes.

FIG. 16 shows a representative server table for managing a mappingbetween application servers, logical partitions and HBAs in a specificembodiment of the present invention. As shown by FIG. 16, a server SMS201 holds the server table 1600. Server table 1600 in FIG. 16 containsadditional columns for storing information such as a physical server, alogical partition ID (LPAR ID) and an HBA ID.

Within server table 1600, “Server” identifies one of application serverswithin the server subsystem. “Address” holds the IP address of thatserver. “Physical Server” holds the id of the physical server in whichthe application server is contained. “VLAN ID” is the VLAN tag valueassigned to that server. “LPAR ID” is the unique id that identifies thelogical partition on which the application server runs. “HBA ID”specifies which HBA is attached to the logical partition. The actualvalue of HBA ID depends on the protocol used in the storage areanetwork. For example, in the Fibre Channel based network, the world widename of the HBA is used as an HBA ID. “Application,” “OS,” and “CPU”indicate the application running on the server, operating systems of theserver, and CPU processing capability such as CPU speed, respectively.

Note that servers such as S-Aa, S-Ab and S-B, are logical notions of theapplication server. They are identified by a combination of a physicalserver and a logical partition in it. Thus, according to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 16, servers S-Aa, S-Ab and S-B are on thesame physical computer P-1 (1400) and their LPAR IDs are L-1 (1420), L-2(1430) and L-3 (1440), respectively. Server S-CD, on the other hand, ison the physical computer P-2 (1420), which holds a single logicalpartition L-1 (1450).

FIG. 17 shows a representative storage table useful in a specificembodiment of the present invention. The storage table 1700 can supportembodiments using an LPAR configuration. It contains the configurationinformation that a storage management subsystem 202 uses to configurethe FC switch 190 and storage volumes 195. Within storage table 1700,“Volume” identifies one of the storage volumes with in the storagesubsystem. “Port” holds the FC port address of the volume. “HBA allowed”specifies those HBAs that are allowed to access this storage volume.“Capacity” and “Access” each indicates the storage volume capacity andaccess control attribute of the volume, respectively.

The ISMS 300 collects mapping information from server SMS 201 andstorage SMS 202, and combines the mapping information into the servicemapping table 800 of FIG. 8 and the service status table 900 of FIG. 9.The remaining operation is substantially similar to the processing ofthe specific embodiments discussed herein above with respect to FIGS.10–13.

EXAMPLE APPLICATION

Specific embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can be applied tovarious kinds of network services in a broad array of applications. Onesuch application of the present invention is in the area of outsourcedmonitoring and maintenance services of semiconductor manufacturingdevices, for example. In a representative configuration, SemiconductorDevice Manufacturing comprises of multiple customer sites and acentralized customer support center.

In an industry environment, such as the semiconductor manufacturingindustry, a vendor of the manufacturing devices often desires to monitorand maintain their products installed in the customer premises. Tomonitor more than one customer sites and products installed therein, amanufacturing device vendor would like to have a centralized facility ora customer support center.

The customer support center is preferentially connected to more than onecustomer site via a virtual private network over the Internet. However,many other configurations are possible. Customers can access thecustomer support center via VPN and use the services provided by thecenter. The operator in the customer support center can also connect tothe customer site and get information from manufacturing devicesinstalled therein.

FIG. 18 shows a representative network configuration of an examplecustomer support center in a specific embodiment of the presentinvention. VPN router 1830 establishes multiple VPN tunnels, each ofwhich leads to one of a plurality of customer sites (1902, 1904, 1906and 1908) through the Internet 1800. There are one or more applicationservers 1840 corresponding to each customer. The application serversprovide applications, which are programs used to monitor, maintain andevaluate the semiconductor manufacturing devices installed in thecustomer premises, for example. In the example of FIG. 18, an evaluatingsystem 1820 is contained in the server. The application servers 1840 areconnected to storage devices 1860 via a Fibre Channel switch 1850. Thestorage devices 1860 contain customers' data, which may be separated ona per-customer basis.

An administration server 1870 is responsible for configuring each systemcomponent within the customer support center 1810. The ISMS and SMSs(not shown in FIG. 18) run on the administration server 1870.

FIG. 19 shows a representative network configuration of one of thecustomer sites in a specific embodiment of the present invention. Acustomer site 1902 has one or more semiconductor manufacturing devicesinstalled therein. Of course, other types of devices can be used aswell, as semiconductor manufacturing is being used as an illustrativeexample, and not intended to be limiting. In the example siteillustrated in FIG. 19, for example, two etching devices (1910 and 1930)are installed. Each device is attached to an equipment control personalcomputer (PC) (1912 and 1932) and an equipment control microcomputer(MC) (1914 and 1934). Both PC and MC are connected to the customer'slocal network via a switching hub (1916 and 1936). Equipment control PCalso has a connection to a manufacturing execution system (MES) (1918and 1938) for communication using, for example, a high-speed SECSmessage services and generic equipment model (HSMS/GEM).

A server 1950 is responsible for collecting data from PCs and MCs andsending the data to the customer support center 1810. A VPN router 1952is connected through a VPN tunnel over the Internet 1800 to its peer VPNrouter in the customer support center 1810. An administration server1954 is responsible for configuring each of the service componentswithin the customer network. The ISMS and SMSs (not shown in FIG. 19)run on the administration server 1954.

Other customers (customer B, C and D), shown in abbreviated format inFIG. 19, also have network systems (1904, 1906 and 1908) within theirown premises. These network systems may be similar, or may havedifferent components, than that of network 1902. However, the customersites are connected through VPN tunnels to the customer support center1810.

FIG. 20 shows representative diagnostic information collected in theservice in a specific embodiment of the present invention. The server1950 in the customer network 1902 in FIG. 19 collects I/O status data,log data, records, parameters and recipe data, for example. An I/Ostatus data includes the current status of digital input/output andanalog input/output, wafer position data and process execution status.Log data includes PC-MC communication log, GEM communication log, wafermove event log, MC task execution log and lot management data. Recordsinclude service sequence measurement data, such as leak rate, MFC flowrate, and so forth, and maintenance warning data, such as consumableparts, number of product wafers, RF time accumulation, and so forth.Parameter data includes systems parameters and user parameters. Recipedata includes etching recipe and ashing recipe, such as gas flow rate,pressure, RF power, step time, and so forth. In some embodiments, othertypes of data may be collected, additional data may be collected, orsome of the data illustrated by FIG. 20 may be omitted.

The collected data is sent to the customer support center 1810 andprocessed by the evaluation system 1820 and stored in the storage 1860.Because the VPN, server and storage are assigned to each customer by theISMS, the customer can keep the confidentiality of the informationprocessed and stored in the customer support center.

In this particular embodiment, the operator in the customer supportcenter can also connect to the server 1950 in the customer site 1902through a VPN connection in order to gather information related to thesemiconductor manufacturing devices installed in the customer site. Thiscan be useful when there is a problem on the semiconductor manufacturingdevice in the customer site, as the operator can investigate the causeof the problem without making a trip to the customer's site. Instead,the operator can log on to the server 1950 and collect the necessaryinformation to recover from the problem.

In specific embodiments, the customer support center may be responsiblefor monitoring more than one customer site. Accordingly, an operator ofthe customer support center should have access to pertinent data whensomething has gone wrong with the semiconductor manufacturing devicewithin one of the customer sites. In case of a breakdown of the device,the operator should be allowed to read some portion of the data storedin the customer storage volume. In a specific embodiment, the customercan explicitly designate what data the operator may access. One way toenable a customer center operator to view only a part of customer datais to provide the storage SMS with detailed access control capabilities.In a specific embodiment, marking each customer storage volume with anadditional attribute of “disclosure level” provides this functionality.

FIG. 21 shows a representative disclosure level configuration table in aspecific embodiment of the present invention. A configuration table 2100comprises a matrix that defines who can access which part(s) of one ormore storage volumes. While a wide variety of schemes can be used, in aspecific embodiment an information disclosure level is assigned to thevarious portions of one or more volumes. Each information disclosurelevel can be assigned different access privileges for various customers.In addition, it is possible to define a special access privilege foroperators.

In an illustrative example, a first row (2102) of the configurationtable 2100 shows the access control configuration for customer A'sstorage volume, which has been assigned a disclosure level “0”. Thecustomer A can both read from and write to the volume (R/W access). Onthe other hand, the customer B and C cannot access this volume becausetheir access privilege is “No.” The operator, however, can read or writethis volume because the access privilege for operator is defined as“R/W,” which is the same as that of customer A.

In a second row (2104) of the table 2100 defines access privileges forthe customer A's storage volume with disclosure level “1.” In this case,while the customer A, B and C have the same access privileges as for thedisclosure level 0, the operator's access privilege is limited to readonly (R/O). As shown in a third row (2106) and a fourth row (2108) ofthe table 2600, a volume having information disclosure level 2 and level3 can be read only by the customer A. These volumes would be completelyprivate from the operator. In this way, the customers can assignwhichever access control policy meets their needs to their storage usingthe disclosure level configuration table. Using the mechanism of theinformation disclosure level, the customer A can maintainconfidentiality of part of its manufacturing data while allowing theoperator to get information to identify trouble in any of themanufacturing devices.

It should be noted that the example configuration information of table2600 in FIG. 21 is an abbreviated representation used for illustrationpurposes and not intended to be limiting. Other customers can alsodefine their own information disclosure level configuration in the samemanner as for the customer A. As the configuration is independent fromcustomer to customer, different customers can apply completely differentdisclosure level policy to their own volumes.

Using information disclosure levels, the customer can allow the operatorin the customer support center to read and/or modify a part of theinformation stored in the storage without revealing confidentialinformation. This is especially useful in specific embodiments whereinthe operator checks the information stored in the customer storage inthe customer support center to diagnose the manufacturing device in thecustomer site without connecting to the customer site via VPN.

While the present invention has been described with reference tomanufacturing installations in general, and semiconductor manufacturingapplications specifically, these example embodiments are merelyillustrative of the wide variety of applications of the principles ofthe present invention. Other embodiments readily achievable by those ofordinary skill in the art will be apparent from the teachings providedherein. For example, in one specific embodiment, network serviceproviders that offer complex value-added services combining more thanone service components can deploy their systems according to embodimentsof the present invention. In a representative example, storage serviceproviders (SSPs) seeking to expand their service offerings may integratesecure network access into their storage point of presence by using VPNtechnology. The present invention as described by the exampleembodiments herein can enable the service provider to configure,maintain and manage services with less operation cost. Logicalpartitioning features can be particularly useful in instances where morecustomers can be served with the same number of servers.

The application of principles of the present invention to embodimentsuseful to semiconductor manufacturing installations illustrates thepotential effectiveness of specific embodiments of the present inventionin realizing value-added services that combine VPN, servers, andstorage.

The preceding has been a description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention. It will be appreciated that deviations andmodifications can be made without departing from the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the appended claims.

1. A system, comprising: a connection to a virtual private network; arouter, connected to said virtual private network, wherein said routermaintains at least one virtual router for a client, wherein the routerreceives packets from the virtual private network, each packet having aVPN ID, wherein the router uses the VPN ID and a dedicated virtualrouting table to filter packets to the virtual router associated withthe VPN ID, wherein the virtual router adds tag information based on theVPN ID to the packets before transmitting the packets to the virtual LANswitch, thereby enabling virtual separation of packets within the routerand enabling IP addresses spaces within a private address range tooverlap between different clients; at least one server, said serverhaving at least one logical partition, each server having serveridentification information; an administration server; a virtual LANswitch, connected to said router, said virtual LAN switch providingselectable forwarding of information from said router to said at leastone logical partition of said at least one server, said virtual LANswitch using the tag information and a dedicated server table to forwardthe packets to an appropriate logical partition of said at least oneserver; at least one volume, said at least one volume accepting ofinformation for storage thereon, said information having a sharedportion and a non-shared portion; fibre channel (FC) switch, whereinsaid fibre channel (FC) switch provides selectable interconnectionbetween said at least one logical partition of said at least one serverand said at least one volume, wherein the fibre channel (FC) switch usesthe server identification information and a storage table to determinean appropriate one of said at least one volume, to confirm rights of theserver to access the determined volume, and to forward the packets fromthe server to the determined one of said at least one volume, andwherein said shared portion of said information is accessible via saidadministration server.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising avirtual private network management system that controls operation ofsaid router.
 3. The system of claim 2, said virtual private networkmanagement system further comprising: a network interface module thatreceives commands from an integrated service management system, aservice order processing module that analyzes and executes the commands,updates a table of virtual private network information, and sends newconfiguration information to said router through a control module. 4.The system of claim 2, wherein said virtual private network managementsystem stores the virtual routing table, said virtual routing tablehaving a VPN ID that identifies a specific VPN, an Address 1 and anAddress 2 that hold IF addresses of two end points of said specific VPN,a Protocol that specifies a VPN protocol that is used on said specificVPN, an Internet flag that indicates whether access to public Internetis permitted, and a VLAN ID) that is assigned to packets received oversaid specific VPN.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a servermanagement system that controls operation of said virtual LAN switch. 6.The system of claim 1, further comprising a storage management systemthat controls operation of said FC switch.
 7. The system of claim 1,further comprising an integrated service management system, saidintegrated service management system further comprising: a networkinterface module that receives requests to change configuration, aservice order processing module that analyzes and executes requests tochange configuration received by said network interface module, updatesrelated table cache in a service management database, and sends newconfiguration information using said network interface module.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, further comprising an operator console applicationthat sends a request command to change service configuration to saidintegrated service management system.
 9. The system of claim 7, furthercomprising a customer portal application that sends a request command tochange service configuration to said integrated service managementsystem.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein said integrated servicemanagement system further comprises a service configuration table, saidservice configuration table having destination information.
 11. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein said integrated service management systemstores the server table, said server table having a serveridentification, an address, a physical server identifier, a virtual LANidentification, a logical partition (LPAR) identification, a host busadaptor (HBA) identification, an application identification, anoperating system identifier, and a CPU information.
 12. The system ofclaim 7, wherein said integrated service management system stores thestorage table, said storage table having a volume identifier, a portidentifier, an allowed host bus adapter(s) (HBAs) identifier, a capacityidentifier, and an access information.
 13. The system of claim 7,wherein said integrated service management system further comprises aservice mapping table, said service mapping table having a customeridentifier, a virtual private network identifier, a server identifier,and a volume identifier.
 14. The system of claim 7, wherein saidintegrated service management system further comprising a service statustable, said service status table having a customer identifier, a virtualprivate network status, a server status, and a volume status.
 15. Anapparatus, comprising: a connection to a virtual private network; arouter, connected to said virtual private network, wherein said routermaintains at least one virtual router for a client wherein the routerreceives packets from the virtual private network, each packet having aVPN ID, wherein the router uses the VPN ID and a dedicated virtualrouting table to filter packets to the virtual router associated withthe VPN ID, wherein the virtual router adds tag information based on theVPN ID to the packets before transmitting the packets to the virtual LANswitch, thereby enabling virtual separation of packets within the routerand enabling 12 addresses spaces within a private address range tooverlap between different clients; at least one server, said serverhaving at least one logical partition; an administration server, eachserver having server identification information; a virtual LAN switch,connected to said router, said virtual LAN switch providing selectableforwarding of information from said router to said at least one logicalpartition of said at least one server, said virtual LAN switch using thetag information and a dedicated server table to forward the packets toan appropriate logical partition of said at least one server; at leastone volume, said at least one volume accepting of information forstorage thereon, said information having a shared portion and anon-shared portion; fibre channel (FC) switch, wherein said fibrechannel FC) switch provides selectable interconnection between said atleast one logical partition of said at least one server and said atleast one volume, wherein the fibre channel (FC) switch uses the serveridentification information and a storage table to determine anappropriate one of said at least one volume, to confirm rights of theserver to access the determined volume, and to forward the packets fromthe server to the determined one of said at least one volume, andwherein said shared portion of said information is accessible via saidadministration server.